The Road of Life
by Impressionsguy
Summary: Thirteen years after the events of Toy Story 4, the road of life has taken a new turn for Woody, Bo, and even Buzz and the gang. What will be in store for our favorite characters? Only time will tell.
1. Chapter 1: Where to Next?

**A/N: **Only read this if you've seen Toy Story 4, or at the very least, knows how it ends. This will be chocked full of spoilers for the movie.

* * *

Chapter One: Where to Next?

Bonnie was all grown up. 18 years old and heading off to an arts university, ready to start her new life, ready for whatever lied ahead. She spent that summer cleaning out her room, separating what was coming with her from what was getting left behind. One of the last items she pulled from her closet was a large wicker basket, a large wicker basket that had been sitting in that closet for nearly six years now, with those inside left to live there.

She opened the basket and took a look inside. Yep, they were all still there, just how she remembered them. For the most part, anyway. From what she could recall she used to have a cowboy, that cowboy was lost on her family's road trip to Grand Basin when she was five. All that remained of the doll was the sheriff star that she always liked pinning to her Jessie doll. The loss of the sheriff never really affected her, he never was her favorite.

She took the different toys out one by one, what was quickly noticeable was that each toy was going in a separate pile. The Buzz Lightyear action figure in one, the plush unicorn in the other, the green tyrannosaurus toy with the space ranger, the blue triceratops with the unicorn, and so on. She started picking up the toys from one pile, first the purple haired rag doll, the lederhosen clad hedgehog, and others into one box, and when the last toy, a plastic spork craft she had made in kindergarten, was placed in the box, she smiled proudly at her decision.

"These are going to go great on my bookshelf in my apartment." She deduced as she closed up the box. She looked at the other pile of toys, she wasn't entirely sure what to do with those. They were important to her, and there was some part of her that wanted to bring them along with her, but the toys she was already bringing was cutting it close enough for an eighteen year old with an apartment. She pondered selling them to make a buck or two, but she didn't feel right separating them more than she already had. Giving them to the daycare? No, some of those were quite vintage. She didn't want to run the risk of having them broken. She wasn't sure what to do.

"Hm," she pondered before an idea occurred to her. She took out her cell phone and opened a social media site, she searched up a name. Andy Davis. After filtering through a couple different results, he found the one who appeared to be the Andy who gave her his toys all those years ago. He seemed to be married with a set of twin boys. Those old toys would be perfect for them, she decided. So she sent him a message.

/Hey, I'm not sure if you remember me, but when you were going off to college you gave me your old toys. I'm heading off to university pretty soon and I was wondering if your boys would appreciate them?/ She sent, and awaited response. A few hours later Andy did respond to her message.

/Sure!/ He said, and proceeded to give her his mailing address. She grinned and picked up Andy's toys and placed them in a separate box, and wrote Andy's address on it. She'd be driving it to the post office the next morning. With that, she decided she'd leave her room to go about her day. As soon as she left, the inhabitants of the two boxes came to life and climbed out.

"Go figure, the second we get taken outta that dusty old closet, we get put in boxes!" Mr. Potato Head griped. "Oh look, that box is marked college, lemme guess, our box is off to Goodwill?"

"On the contrary, Potato Head." Hamm spoke up, looking at the box. "There's a mailing address on it."

"We're getting shipped?" Jessie asked.

"By the looks of it." Hamm nodded. "To... Andy Davis!" He remarked.

"We're getting mailed to Andy?" Rex exclaimed. "Suddenly I don't want to cry out in panic anymore!"

"I don't believe it." Buzz remarked. "Back to Andy's."

"Wonder what Woody would've thought about that." Dolly spoke up, Woody's name being spoke seemed to silence the crowd a little, almost as if even though it were thirteen years ago that Woody left the group, and even though they were all happy for him, the wound was still somewhat fresh.

"I wonder what Andy's going to think when he opens up that box and Woody isn't there." Buttercup mumbled. "After all, wasn't he his favorite?"

"Yep." Forky spoke up, answering Buttercup's question.

"I think that's debatable." Buzz shook his head replied to Buttercup's question and Forky's statement.

"No debate about it, you never sat inside the college box." Potato Head nudged Buzz's leg.

"An' you did?" Slinky Dog chuckled. "Buttercup's got a point, Andy's not gonna be too pleased when Woody isn't there." He said glumly, looking down.

"Slinky, it'll be alright." Buzz assured him. "Sure, it would be nice if Woody could come with us, but you've got to remember that he's okay."

"Buzz is right," Jessie nodded. "We all miss Woody, and I'm sure Andy will be disappointed when Woody's not there, but Woody will always be with him the same way Woody's always with us." She backed up Buzz's statement before looking down fondly at her old friend's sheriff star.

"Exactly." Buzz nodded, smiling at Jessie and holding her hand in his.

"C'mon everyone, let's have one more fun day together before we go our own ways tomorrow, how about it?" Dolly offered, much to the approval of all the other toys. The toys all parted into their own groups for one last day of hanging around Bonnie's old room before they had to part ways come the next morning.

As Bonnie slept that night, slowly and silently, one of the cardboard boxes opened up and the red haired cowgirl doll, Jessie, crept out. She quietly made her way across the room and climbed up on the windowsill. She sighed softly as she looked at all the stars in the sky and the big, bright moon.

"Y'know," a familiar voice behind Jessie said. "No matter where he is, he's still under the same stars each night." She turned to see Buzz, who had decided to join her on the windowsill.

"Yeah, but it doesn't make me miss him any less." Jessie shrugged. "Buzz, y'ever wonder what it would have been like if maybe you and I went with them?" She asked.

"I've thought about it." Buzz admitted as he sat down beside her. "But... our place was still with Bonnie at that time. Unfortunately enough for us, Woody's place just wasn't." He reasoned. "Besides, Woody is one thing, but all three of us just going missing?

"True." She nodded. "You think he ever thinks about us?" She asked.

"I'm sure of it." He nodded. "Woody's path may have separated from ours, but that doesn't mean he loves us any less."

"You're right." Jessie nodded, smiling a bit. "Thanks, Buzz."

"Anything for you, Jessie." He kissed her cheek softly. "You coming back to the box?" He asked as he stood up once more.

"Just give me a few more minutes." Jessie nodded, smiling fondly at her space ranger as he walked back to the box. Once he was inside, she removed the sheriff's badge from her bosom and looked down at it, watching it gleam under the glow of the moon.

"Woody, I don't know where you are, but... I hope your new path is treating you okay." She looked down at the badge before pinning it back to her chest and slowly strolling back to the box.

* * *

"So then I was like, why don't you roll on back to the J.C Penny clearance aisle before I transform you into a parts lot, kapish?" Bunny relayed a story as he, Ducky, Duke Caboom, Giggle McDimples, Bo and her sheep, and Woody walked from the carnival after another long day of doing just what they'd been doing for thirteen years now, getting toys to new kids.

"I don't know how many times I have to tell you this, but threats aren't really what we're about." Bo reminded Bunny.

"This guy had it coming, one of them Transformer knock-offs giving some Duplos a hard time." Bunny defended his actions.

"Y'coulda led with that." Woody mentioned. "How are you doing, Bo?" He asked, looking at her with a soft smile.

"Fine." She nodded. "I need to find a new tape roll for my arm though, down to my last strip." She held up the empty roll. "There's an arts and crafts store nearby, I might try and sneak in there when it closes up for the night." She said as the crew huddled into the place they called home, for this location anyway. It was a wooden playhouse in a playground, scale wise it was like a mansion for the toys.

"Sweet Pierre Trudeau, I am beat." Duke remarked as he took off his helmet and yawned. "Where is this carnival off to next?"

"We ship out to Fargo next week." Bo said as she pet her sheep, the girls slowly nodding off to sleep.

"Sweet, sunny Fargo." Ducky said fondly as he plunked himself down to rest.

"Ducky, Fargo's in North Dakota, that place's summer is an Emeryville winter." Bunny informed him.

"What!?" Ducky exclaimed. "I say we sit this trip out, hitch a ride in a Ship-It truck headed to Miami."

"We're not going to Miami." Bo shook her head but chuckled fondly. "North Dakota will be nice."

"Doesn't matter where we're headed, as long as we're together." Woody smiled as he held Bo's hand in his. Bo smiled softly and planted a kiss on her sheriff's cheek. The two laid back in the grass and sighed softly, Woody tipped his sheriff's hat down over his eyes as the crew drifted off for some rest.

* * *

"I'll miss the card games, buddy." Buttercup said to Hamm as Andy's toys said one last goodbye before Bonnie took their box to the post office. "You ever wind up at Cal-Arts, look us up."

"You got it." Hamm nodded before glancing over at Rex, who was saying a tearful goodbye to Trixie.

"Rexingball93, I'll be sure to look you up." Trixie assured him. "We can video call every Thursday night."

"You gonna be okay in that box, Jess?" Dolly looked up at Jessie as she held her ponytail in her hands, something she always did when she felt anxious.

"Yeah," she nodded. "I still have Buzz, Bullseye, and everyone else with me after all." She assured Dolly. "Besides, we're just getting shipped, it's not like we're going in a storage locker." She reasoned.

"So this is about the cowboy, huh?" Dolly inferred, if it wasn't the box, that was the next most likely thing on her mind. "Don't worry, I'm sure he's okay." She smiled up at her. "Woody's always been a capable cowboy."

"Bonnie's coming, everyone into their boxes!" Mrs. Potato Head called, the toys gave one last hug, handshake, or nod goodbye and they piled into their boxes.

"It was certainly nice of Andy to give me the money for shipping, who knew a box of toys to Vermont was so pricey?" Bonnie remarked as she taped up the box and took it out to her car, setting it carefully in the passenger's seat before driving off to the post office.

* * *

"Even after we got RC out of the storm, the water had already damaged his electronics." Woody relayed to Bo the next morning as the gang made their way back to the carnival. "Andy tried driving him a couple days later and he didn't work."

"Did mom throw him away?" Bo asked.

"No, she was taking a trip to a thrift store that day anyway, dropped him off there, the Barrel of Monkeys with him." Woody told her.

"Wow, no Lenny, no Monkeys, rescues must have gotten a lot harder after that point." Bo remarked.

"Well, no, there weren't really anymore rescues after that." Woody told her. "Up until the whole Sunnyside fiasco you and RC were pretty much the last ones to go."

"You ever think about them?" Bo asked.

"Who?" Woody asked.

"All the toys Andy gave away." Bo explained. "Wheezy, Rocky, Mr. Mike, all of them."

"Sure, all the time." Woody nodded. "But, at the same time, looking back I know it was for the best. After all, what were they going to do if I could have rescued them? Sit around in the attic? That's no life for a toy."

"Amen to that one." Giggle nodded. "I spent fifteen years in a box in a garage before being hauled off to Second Chance. Worst of all there was a book covering my pet patrol play set and keeping it shut, I couldn't get out." She said, shuddering a little at the memory.

"I'm sorry." Woody said to Giggle. "Jessie would know just how you felt."

"She's the cowgirl, right?" Giggle asked. "Bo told me about some of the toys from Danny's house."

"Andy." Woody corrected. "But yeah, I met her after I got stolen from a yard sale a long time ago, we were supposed to go to a toy museum in Japan."

"Japan?" Giggle asked. "Konishi Toy Museum by chance?"

"Yeah, how do you know that?" Woody asked.

"Mr. Konishi was one of Margaret's contacts, if a toy at Second Chance sat around long enough, she'd call Mr. Konishi and asked if he wanted it for his museum, I knew a Jolly Chimp that got sent there." She explained.

"Huh, small world." Woody remarked. "Oh! Giggle, did I ever tell you about how I met Buzz?"

"Several times, Sheriff." Giggle replied flatly, clearly tired of hearing that story.

"Oh, humor him, he likes to tell stories." Bo scolded playfully.

"I for one, would love to hear that story again." Ducky mentioned to Woody. "Cracks me up to hear about Lightyear thinking he's a real space ranger."

"Alright," Woody chuckled a bit. "So, the year was 1995, and up until that point, Bo was the new toy in the room..." He trailed off into his story as they walked down the path, telling the toys every little detail of that fateful birthday party when he met Buzz Lightyear.

"Wait a second, you told me the spider baby had _four _claw arms." Bo remarked as Woody told the story.

"Did I? I'm pretty sure I always said two." Woody replied. "Maybe I was just trying to impress you." He admitted.

"The fact you and Buzz made it out of Sid's room alive impressed me enough, sheriff." Bo giggled.

"That kid took toys apart an' Frankensteined them into new toys?" Bunny asked. "That's fluffed up."

"Get to the Mrs. Nesbitt part already, that's my favorite!" Ducky exclaimed, jumping up and down excitedly.

"That Skunkmobile would really come in handy right now, Lambchops!" Duke interrupted with a panicked tone. "We've got company!" He pointed to a man walking down the same path.

"Everyone into the bushes, now!" Giggle jumped, pointing to a nearby shrub. Duke quickly drove his motorcycle into the shrubbery, Giggle hopping behind. Billy, Goat, and Gruff bleated as they scurried into the bush, Bo following behind with Woody with her.

"Help! I'm stuck!" Ducky called, his foot had gotten stuck under a root and Bunny's pulling couldn't get him out.

"For crying out loud." Woody grumbled as he scurried out to free the plush duck, once Ducky and Bunny were secured in the shrub, Bo held out her crook to Woody to grab hold, and just moments before she pulled him in, he was spotted.

"What in the world?" The man said, causing Woody to drop down, Bo too, unfortunately dropping down so she was exposed too.

"Would you look at that." The man remarked as he picked the two up. "A 1957 _Woody's Roundup_ Sheriff Woody doll and what looks to be a 1976 Little Bo Peep lamp figurine. These are terrific finds." He grinned, placing the two dolls carefully in his bag and walking back to his car.

"Oh, fluff." Ducky remarked as the others peered on from the bush.


	2. Chapter 2: Bump in the Road

**A/N: **I'd just like to say I've never had a first day for a story be quite so popular! I've received so many followers, favorites, and kind words in such a short time since publication. Thank you all so much! I hope you continue to enjoy the story as we move forward.

And obviously, I don't own Toy Story.

* * *

Chapter 2: A Bump in the Road

"Potato Head, if you touch my butt one more time, you won't like what I'm gonna do the second I get out of this box!" Jessie hollered from across the box as they sat in the back of a Ship-It truck en-route to Vermont.

"Wait, that's where my arm is? Toss it over!" Mr. Potato Head called. "Anyone seen my ear?"

"Yeah, and you're not gonna like where it is." Hamm mumbled, shaking himself a bit to reveal the ear rattling around inside of him, it must have fell into his coin slot.

"I thought I heard something rumbling." Potato Head huffed.

"How much longer until we have reached the system of Vier-Mont?" The Aliens asked in unison.

"We've only been on the road for a few hours, I'm guessing it'll be at least two more nights until we reach Vermont." Buzz answered.

"Two nights!?" Rex wailed. "I can't wait that long, I need air!"

"Why don't you just poke your tail through the box then, ya big lizard?" Mr. Potato Head ask, popping his arm back into socket after Jessie tossed it to him. "Or better yet, why don't we just pop the tape open on the top of the box?" He suggested, looking up at the gap in the cardboard flaps sealed by tape, this gap allowing the faintest amount of light into the box.

"I don't know if that's such a good idea." Buzz shook his head.

"Buzz..." Jessie said softly. "Just for a few minutes?" She asked. "I could really use some air." Buzz sighed, he knew he couldn't say no to her, he nodded slightly and took the paper clip from the shipping receipt and slit the tape with it, allowing the flaps to be pushed open.

"Oh, that's better." Rex sighed with relief. He, Jessie, Buzz, and Slinky Dog jumped out of the box.

"I heard Bonnie mention Andy had a set of twin boys, that should be fun." Slinky mentioned as the four stretched their legs, walking about in the back of the truck. "If'n they're anything like Andy or Bonnie that is."

"I'm sure it'll be great Slink." Buzz nodded. "I bet they already have a bunch of toys of their own too."

"What if they already have a dinosaur!?" Rex asked, suddenly all full of nerves. "I don't want to cause any trouble, what if he thinks I'm trying to take his place and he throws me out the window!?" He shook his arms frantically. The other toys weren't exactly sure what to say, they all just exchanged confused glances, Buzz cleared his throat and stepped over to Rex.

"I... doubt that'll happen, Rex." Buzz assured him.

"Maybe they've got a bunch of stuffed animals!" Jessie grinned, full of hope. "I've always wanted a corral full of critters!"

"I still remember when you first tried to lasso Hamm." Slinky mentioned, chuckling at the memory. "He was none too happy about that one. Woody even had to make a new rule at the next staff meetin' because of it."

"Rule number twenty seven: no hogtying other toys." Buzz nodded.

"I still think he used 'hogtying' on purpose." Hamm mentioned, peeking his head out of the box.

"As uptight as he was, the sheriff did have a sense of humor." Mr. Potato Head shrugged.

"Yeah..." Rex nodded, looking down a bit, there was a bit of an awkward air in the back of the truck now, really focusing on a memory of Woody reminded them all how much they missed him. Jessie noticed the new mood that had arisen and quickly thought up a way to lift everyone's spirits.

"Hey everyone, why don't we play a game of hide and go seek to pass the time?" Jessie suggested. "Plenty of hiding spots back here after all."

"That's a great idea, Jessie." Buzz nodded, stepping to her side. "Who's in?"

"Count me in!" Rex exclaimed as Slinky Dog nodded his head. Hamm was the next to agree, hopping out of the box with the three Aliens behind him, Bullseye next, and finally the two Potato Heads, only after Mrs. Potato Head begged her husband to join in on the fun.

"I suggested it, so I'll be 'it'. Everyone else, go and hide." Jessie instructed before turning around so her face was up against a box, she closed her eyes and started to count to sixty. "One... Two... Three..."

* * *

"_I'm on my way, from misery to happiness today... uh huh uh huh uh huh uh huh,_" the man who had just picked up Woody and Bo hummed as he drove along. "Man, Cadie is going to flip when she sees you, Bo." He said aloud as he drove as if he were talking to the two dolls. "She had a Bo Peep lamp when she was a kid, hand-me-down from her mom." He explained.

"It was imaginative and cute when Andy did things like that as a kid, this is just weird." Woody whispered to Bo in the man's bag, listening to him speak to them. "If we're lucky, he won't take his bag when he stops next."

"He'd better not. I'm not going up on anyone's shelf." Bo murmured as she peeked out the small opening in the bag. "I'm not losing my sheep either."

"You won't, Bo." Woody assured her, just then, the car pulled into an alley beside a building with a shop on the ground floor and an apartment on the upper floor. The man got out of the car and grabbed his bag, he then unlocked the door on the side of the building that surpassed the store and led to the apartment and walked up the stairs.

He took the bag into a room that seemed to be decorated like a home office. Toys of all different brands, years, and conditions adorned the shelves. "Alright, let's get a good look at you two." The man mumbled as he took the two toys out of the bag and carefully set them on the table, Woody flopped over, through the man sat him up to the best of his ability, and Bo standing in her pose. The man opened up his laptop and searched up images of the two dolls for an exact reference.

"Huh, I dare say someone customized you, Bo." He remarked. "That outfit is pretty far off the mark from an out of the box image." He looked at her arm next, seeing it seemed to be held together by a strip of tape. "Years haven't been the kindest to you, huh?" He said glumly before turning his attention to Woody. "Let's see, there was something written on your boot at some point, can't make out what it was." He looked at the smudged permanent ink. "No sheriff's badge, and..." He turned him around to get a look at the pull string to give it a test pull. He nearly dropped Woody when he saw his back, at one point his back had been completely ripped open! It was now crudely sewn up and there was no pull string in sight. "Woody, Woody I am sorry." He sighed. "Poor fella, both of you must have seen a lot of crazy things, huh?" He asked as he got up. "Alright, make yourselves at home. I've just got to say hello to the missus." He called as he left his office and closed the door behind him.

Bo immediately scanned the room. No windows. She looked up, no way up out the ceiling and through the roof. The only possible way out was this place was the door, and then she'd have to sneak out the rest of the way.

"When I get out of here, I'm going to have Ducky on sandbox cleaning duty for an entire US tour." Bo huffed as she hopped down from the desk, Woody following behind her.

"Well hello there," a robotic voice behind Woody and Bo suddenly spoke up, they looked behind them to see a toy robot, it looked relatively similar to Andy's Robot, only this Robot was red where Andy's was mostly blue. He also appeared to have more lights on him where the arrows on his chest and his headphone like ear pieces were concerned, he must have been a later model. "My name is Educate-R. Product of Einstein Toys, 1997, yourselves?" He asked.

"Woody. Uhh... Cowboy Crunchies promotion, late 50's." Woody replied, tipping his hat.

"Bo Peep, Fabletop Lamps, 1976." Bo introduced herself. "Look, Educate-R, Woody and I need to go, we've got a life of our own and we aren't interested in sitting up on a shelf, collecting dust."

"What makes you think you'll be collecting dust? Do I look dusty to you?" The robot toy asked. "Eddy won't be happy, but if you do need to leave, it's just out this door and down the stairs." He informed them.

"Thanks." Bo nodded respectfully before suddenly the door swung open and in stepped the man, who Woody and Bo could only assume was Eddy, he smiled fondly as he looked down at the floor to see the three toys, he closed the door behind him and nodded to Educate-R, indicating that since the door was closed it was okay to speak.

"Hello Eddy," Educate-R looked up at his owner. "Did you enjoy your morning walk?"

"Yes I did." He nodded before picking up Bo and Woody, who did in fact freeze once more upon his arrival. He set them down on the desk and picked up Educate-R. "This whole thing is going to be a lot easier if you're willing to have a chat." He said to the two dolls. "I didn't want to surprise you like that, but sometimes it's the only way." He shrugged.

"They don't want to stay here, Eddy." Educate-R said.

"Oh, do they already have a kid?" Eddy looked to them, Woody was the first to break character, he sat up and looked at Eddy.

"No. No kid." Woody shook his head. "But we have friends that are waiting for us."

"Woody!" Bo hissed.

"There's no point in pretending anymore, Bo." Woody reasoned before looking to the man, still slightly uncomfortable at the notion of speaking to a human so casually. "We're part of a group of toys that help toys get new kids, we were just on our way to the carnival when you found Bo and I."

"Really?" Eddy asked. "That sounds really interesting! I kind of do the same thing, as a matter of fact."

"Huh?" Bo tilted her head.

"Oh yeah." He nodded. "C'mon, I'll take you to my store." He held his bag out. Woody seemed fine, but Bo was wary.

"C'mon. Give him a chance." Woody said softly, Bo looked at Woody and sighed a little, she knew her sheriff was a good judge of character, she knew he'd never steer her wrong.

"Alright." Bo nodded, climbing into his bag with Woody.

"You're going to have to freeze when we're in the hall. Cadie isn't aware of the whole... toys coming to life thing." He explained, as he opened the door and stepped out, Bo and Woody frozen yet peeking out of the bag, their top halves visible.

"Is that Bo?" A female voice suddenly asked. "Please tell me you aren't selling her! You got me excited when you told me you found one." Cadie asked, looking at the Bo Peep figurine adoringly.

"Relax, hon. I'm just taking these two down for a tour of the shop and maybe some repairs. I'll have them back up in a jiffy, Cadie." He assured her as he stepped down the stairs. He walked out the exit to their apartment and walked into the first floor shop. "I know you aren't eager about staying, Bo. But she was really excited to hear about you." He said to her as he stepped in the shop.

"I don't really do kids, but I'd sooner go with a kid than a grown woman." Bo said to Eddy.

* * *

"So, we all agree all that that just went down, totally not mine and Bunny's fault, right?" Ducky asked the remaining toys from the group, they had left the shrub and instead, retreated back to the playground, not eager to go about their task without any sense of leadership.

"It wasn't yours _and _Bunny's fault." Giggle assured him. "It was your fault."

"My fault!?" Ducky asked. "My foot got caught in a root, how's that my fault?"

"You're a shuffler, you need to learn to watch where you step." Duke backed up Giggle. Ducky sighed and looked impatiently at the two toys.

"You gonna make me say it?" Ducky asked before letting out another sigh. "With these tiny legs, I can not take big strides, and with this big head, I can not look down when I walk, or else I would tip over." He explained.

"Fellas, fellas, listen. Yeah, Woody and Bo are gone. But fighting about it isn't gonna help anything." Bunny said. "What's important now is we figure out how to get 'em back."

"Are you suggesting a rescue mission?" Duke asked.

"You bet your back bacon I am, Caboom." Bunny nodded.

"I'm always up for a little search and rescue!" Giggle jumped in excitement, Bo's sheep bleated in agreement with what Bunny was suggesting, the toys quickly strode back to the playhouse in the park, ready to plan their next move.

* * *

"Anyone wanna play I Spy?" Hamm joked to the toys, they were back in the box again. They had nearly been found out when the truck stopped for gas. The driver had opened up the back door to check on the packages, and only opened it a second after the flaps of their box had been shut. The couldn't exactly get out anymore though, since in a panic and worried about the box getting re-taped, Jessie had placed another box on top of theirs, and she underestimated how hard it would be to push the box open with the added weight.

"I spy with my little eye, your cork in my face!" Mr. Potato Head spat bitterly as he tried to shift to another part of the box. "I'm this close to putting all my pieces inside my butt and napping for the rest of the trip."

"Nobody's stoppin you, spud head." Slinky mumbled, as the toys spoke, Buzz could hear a sound that wasn't there until they had piled back into the box again coming from outside. Every so often, he'd here a 'clink' sound.

"Quiet, what's that sound?" Buzz asked, pressing his ear to the slight remaining opening of the flaps that wasn't covered by the box on top. "Sounds like clanking metal." He deduced, and sure enough, every bump in the road, the same clanking sound.

"What is that?" Jessie asked.

"Sounds like a jiggling latch." Hamm remarked. "Same sound from when the driver was opening the door."

"That's impossible." Buzz shook his head. "We're driving. He couldn't be opening the door."

"Ehhh I didn't hear him lock the latch. Looks like we're driving with an open door." Hamm said.

"What do we do!?" Mrs. Potato Head shrieked. "We'll get thrown out of the truck!"

"Calm down." Buzz tried to calm the gang. "The latch may be open, but the door isn't. We aren't going to get thrown out of the truck." At that very moment, the truck hit a hard bump on the road, hard enough to make the door fly open and send an array of boxes, the one full of toys included, crashing out onto the road. However, since the box with Andy's toys wasn't sealed, it flew open, causing the array of toys to come out of the box and bounce off the highway and tumble down the grassy hill next to the highway.

"Is everyone okay?" Jessie asked, picking her hat up off the ground and putting it back on, also making sure that Woody's badge was still pinned down.

"Where's my hat? Has anyone seen my hat?" Mrs. Potato Head wailed as she patted her hatless head, looking around for her flowered hat, which had made it's way onto the head of one of her Alien sons. "I'll take that." She said as she put her hat back on her head.

"So much for we won't fly out of the truck, huh?" Hamm murmured.

"What are we gonna do!? We're lost!" Rex wailed.

"Everybody calm down." Buzz said. "Look, the truck's stopped. He'll see us on the side of the highway and pick us up." They watched the man scurry out of the truck and pick up the boxes that had fallen out, when he got to the box that held the toys, he looked at it quizzically, seeing that it was empty. He then shrugged and tossed the box off the highway before closing the door and making sure to lock the latch before getting back in and continuing his drive.

"Two for two, Buzzy." Hamm sighed.

"C'mon guys." Jessie said, climbing up on Bullseye's back. "We're only a mile or so from the next town, let's head that way and figure out our way from there." She instructed, Bullseye started to walk with her on him, the other toys followed. "Hop on up here, space ranger." She smirked, pulling Buzz up by the hand. "It'll be okay, right?"

"Exactly." Buzz nodded.

"That... wasn't rhetorical, Buzz. I'm really asking if it'll be okay." Jessie murmured.

"I'm sure of it." Buzz promised her.

* * *

"So, what is it exactly you do here?" Bo asked, leaning up against the cash register of the shop. Eddy had closed the blinds on the windows to make sure no passersby saw toys moving around.

"I find and repair lost toys, and then I get them to new owners." Eddy explained. "Like what you guys do, but I make a buck off it." He said. "Every toy up in my apartment or here in this store was a toy I found. Everyone here is second hand, sometimes even third or fourth hand." He chuckled. "Hey Transitron," he called to a toy that towered over Bo and Woody, a robot toy made up of individual vehicles. "Your replacement wheel came in this morning."

"Most excellent." The robotic voice said. "Component 2 will be ready for mobility once more."

"I'll even have you put out in the window display the next morning, a kid is sure to see you then." Eddy grinned. "Any other questions?" He asked the two dolls.

"Several, as a matter of fact." Woody mumbled. "I don't even know where to begin."

"I don't have any customers, so I've got time." Eddy shrugged as he went through his stock of paints for his airbrush machine. "I need to pick up a canister of Citron Yellow tomorrow, that Little Tykes school bus was in rough shape." He mumbled to himself.

"Why do you talk to toys?" Bo asked. "Better yet, how do you know about us?"

"I kind of thought that's what you'd ask first, they always do." Eddy smiled as he looked back at the dolls. "I've always loved toys. I took care of them like they were my pride and joy with my own when I was a kid, and that was something that never left me. So I opened up a toy shop, also claiming that I'd do what I could to repair or maintain any worn out or broken toy that was brought into me." He explained. "One day, this little girl, about ten, she one of my first customers actually, brought in a Buzz Lightyear action figure, Utility Belt edition, and let me tell you, it was in rough shape. She told me she had been saving for months to bring him in for repairs, her mother had urged her just to throw it out and buy a new one, but this was _her_ Buzz Lightyear." He took a photo album out and opened it to a picture of the action figure, Woody and Bo, both having known a Buzz, even though it wasn't that Buzz, were almost faint at the sight of the space ranger toy.

"But a promise was a promise, I stayed up all night trying to fix it." He explained. "I had to open it up to maintain some of the wiring, I needed a new spring for the wing mechanism, and the whole body needed repainting. I used two whole canisters of glow in the dark lime green on him, most of my workbench still glows in the dark from that night." He chuckled fondly. "And then, just as I had turned the screw to shut his backpack in after replacing the batteries, I heard something." He explained. "I heard a thank you. And it sounded like the voice from the toy. I picked up the toy and pressed his buttons, cycling through the phrases, I looped around the phrases all three times and there wasn't a thank you in there. I set the toy back down and looked at it, then I noticed the toy didn't have it's wide grin, more of this look like... like I had just saved it's life, and he was eternally grateful." He explained, Woody and Bo exchanged smirks, where had they heard that one before? "At first, I was terrified, but the space man an assured me he meant no harm, and he just wanted me to listen to what he had to say."

"Thank you," the Buzz had told him. "Gracie was heartbroken when my laser stopped lighting, and even more sorrowful when she saw that my wings didn't lock in anymore. Gracie's a good kid, none of this damage was on her part. Her brother had taken me from her room and didn't play anywhere near as nice as Gracie would have. Gracie found me at the bottom of the stairs, covered in dents and scratches. She tried everything to get me to work the way I did again, but I was too broken. Her mother even threw me in the trash, but Gracie fished me out when she saw an ad for your store in the paper, from that point she started saving all her allowance money to bring me in and see what you could do." He said. "You gave me a second chance, I don't know how many years I have left before my Gracie grows out of toys, but thanks to you I still get those years. Your noble actions are commendable, and a good space ranger always shows gratitude, even if it breaks the rules." He saluted Eddy. "You're doing good work here." He said before freezing up in his toy pose again.

"I wasn't sure what to think, at first I thought I was hallucinating from all the paint fumes and my exhaustion, I went to bed that night not thinking anything of it, and then the next morning Gracie had come to pick him up." He continued. "And her face just lit up when she saw her Buzz Lightyear standing on the counter. She bounded over and hugged her Buzz tightly. Before she left though, I opened the cash register and gave her the money I had initially charged for repairs back, I told her that no child should have to pay to get their toy back. She thanked me and happily left the shop, but over her shoulder I saw the Buzz Lightyear salute me as she left. Confirming that it wasn't all something I had made up." He concluded. "I never told another soul about it, and since then have made my store and home office as hospitable as possible for toys, since there were other toys in the repair room at the time that had saw Buzz come to life, word got out among the toys pretty fast I knew."

"Wow." Woody remarked.

"And all the toys here are just okay with you selling them off?" Bo asked.

"Of course." Eddy nodded. "It's a symbiotic relationship, me and these toys. I bring them in and repair them, and then people buy them. They get fixed up and sent to a good home, I get money."

"You ever get collectors in here?" Woody asked. "A lot of toys in here seem on the older side."

"Unfortunately, yes." Eddy nodded. "I get plenty of collectors in here, I usually turn them away though, I don't want these toys stuck living on a shelf for the rest of their lives. Toys are meant to be played with."

"You're pretty smart, for a grown up." Bo grinned a little bit, nudging him with her crook.

"Thanks." Eddy nodded. "Look, neither of you need to stay if you don't want to. But I think there are ways we can help each other."

"How so?" Woody asked.

"Lets face it, what type of R&R supplies do you toys carry on you for lost toys in need of patching up?" Eddy asked. "Probably a roll of tape and a needle and thread for popped seams. Not exactly optimum pieces of equipment for repair and restoration."

"That's true." Bo nodded.

"So, I was thinking a system like this. You two and your friends find lost toys and bring them back to me. I'll repair them, and sell them at my shop to kids. In return, I'll offer you and your friends shelter and full service repairs whenever needed." Eddy said.

"Well..." Bo thought to herself. "I can't promise it's what I want to do forever, but this sounds like a fun system to try, what do you think, sheriff?" She asked.

"The same system with even more benefits sounds pretty good to me. A warm place to sleep at night sounds pretty nice too." Woody admitted. "We'll be happy to help, Eddy."

"Great!" Eddy grinned. "Now, how about I get you two fixed up?" He offered. "I'm sure it gets tedious replacing that tape all the time." He gently poked Bo's patched arm.

"I just ran out of tape again." Bo nodded. He picked the two dolls up and led them to the back room for due repairs and restoration.

* * *

"Well this is just great. We're all lost!" Mr. Potato Head bemoaned as the crew of toys walked along. "I blame Jessie, if we had've kept the box shut, we would've been put back in the truck!"

"One more word and I'll give you what I promised you back in the box, Potato Head." Jessie threatened, having enough of listening to the spud gripe, he had been doing so ever since they started walking on foot earlier that afternoon.

"Let's just... everybody calm down." Buzz said. "Hamm, do you still remember everything that was written on the box?"

"Down to the last comma." Hamm nodded.

"There. We can just find a box and re-mail ourselves, we'll be back on the road in no time." Buzz grinned, trying to lift the spirits of the toys. It worked fine on Jessie and Rex, but not great on everyone else.

"Let's... find a place to rest for the night, we can figure this all out tomorrow morning." Jessie suggested. Buzz nodded, pulling back a leaf covered branch that was before them to reveal that the gang had stepped into a playground. No sign of children in it, which was expected since it was nearly midnight.

"C'mon." Buzz led the toys along. "Be careful, anything could be out here. We don't want to attract anything."

"You glow in the dark, you gave up subtle a long time ago, Buzz." Hamm replied flatly. Just then, a softball bounced by Buzz and skidded to a stop not to far from him. He tilted his head and looked quizzically at the ball, slowly stepping towards it.

"Heh?" Buzz remarked as he looked down at the ball, suddenly, the force of being tackled from the back overcame him, the other toys didn't even have time to warn him, they just say two blurred shadows rush out from nowhere.

"Winna winna chicken dinna!" A voice from one of the tacklers exclaimed as they and Buzz bounced into a patch of foliage. Andy's other toys jumped back, afraid of whatever had just attacked their friend, suddenly, they heard a small engine rev and tires squeal, sometime was driving in circles around them, they could see the shine from a little headlight, the motorcycle skidded to a stop before them, and a toy no bigger than one of the Potato Heads got off the bike and stepped forward, his white and red colors lit up by the headlight.

"Who are you?" Duke Caboom asked, stepping into the light.

* * *

_Yes. Ducky, Bunny, and Duke know Buzz. And yes, Ducky, Bunny, and Duke saw Andy's other toys at the end of Toy Story 4, but I figured between it being the dead of night in the case of the former, and the fact it was a brief moment thirteen years ago for the latter, it would make sense that the three took precautionary measures when they heard a group of toys arrive on their turf._


	3. Chapter 3: Meetings

**A/N: **I'm not sure how long this story is meant to go. I do have arcs and new characters I want to introduce, but I am looking to give this a definitive conclusion since too many of my stories are episodic slice of life stories.

Also, I deeply appreciate how well received this story is, but please don't continuously review demanding more chapters, I write and post when I can. And I'd rather take time making sure the chapter is good than rush to post something mediocre.

* * *

Chapter 3: Meetings

"I'll ask you this one more time. Who are you?" Duke Caboom asked, eyeing up the group of toys cautiously, ready to get hostile if necessary.

"Uhh, I'm Jessie, Jessie the Yodeling Cowgirl, I guess. Me and my friends are just looking for a..." before she could continue, Duke cut her off, he had noticed something on her chest.

"Where did you get that?" He pointed to her chest. "That badge."

"My sheriff's badge? My friend gave it to me as a parting gift, his name was Woody." Jessie explained.

"Moxy Früvous!" Duke exclaimed. "Sheriff Woody? About 40 centimeters tall, cowboy doll, nose like a cow catcher?" He asked.

"Yes! Yes!" Jessie exclaimed. "Do you know him?"

"He's been running with us for thirteen years!" Duke nodded. "Ducky! Bunny! Fall back!" He turned, only to see Ducky and Bunny standing right beside him, Buzz up on Bunny's shoulders.

"Duke! It's Lightyear, remember him?" Ducky asked.

"Haha! I couldn't have thought of a better toy to bump into!" Duke grinned. "How you doing, Hadfield?" Before Buzz could reply, Jessie set a hand on Duke's shoulder and turned him around.

"You said you knew Woody, is he here?" Jessie asked hopefully.

"Yeah, where's Woody and Bo Peep?" Rex asked. Ducky, Bunny, and Duke exchanged glances before looking back to the gang.

"Taken." Duke answered. "Just this morning, a man found the two and just took them!"

"What!?" Rex jumped. "Where did he take them? What's he going to do?"

"We don't know, Jurassic Plastic." Ducky replied. "But we're coming up with a plan to get them back!"

"Hey, I've got an idea." Bunny stroked his chin with his paw. "Woody always told us that the lot of you were always getting into scrapes." He remarked. "That means y'all would have no problem laying a little rough to get him and Peep back."

"Define _rough_, Jack-Rabbit." Jessie arched her brow.

"Jessie, you don't want to know." Buzz assured her. "We're not doing what you two have in mind, because I know what it is. But we can all come up with a plan together to hatch a plan."

"I'm thinkin' a little Plush Rush meets Operation Pull Toy, with a whole lotta Plush Rush." Ducky said as they all retreated to the playhouse for the night.

"What's a Plush Rush?" Rex asked.

"You _really _don't want to know, Rex." Buzz assured him.

* * *

"I don't get it, Woody." Bo said to Woody as the two paced around Eddy's store. Neither of them had actually spoken in a while, they were simply hand in hand, enjoying each other's company. Woody turned his head a little and arched his eyebrow.

"What? Toss Across? It's Tic-Tac-Toe with bean bags. We can play if you want." Woody offered, motioning to the game that was just two feet away from them.

"Not that, Woody." Bo shoved him playfully, she knew he was kidding after all. "I just... I don't know, I find it odd. I mean, you talked, Woody. You've always been so amendment about not talking to humans. You've only ever done it once, and even then, I remember you were up all night for weeks afterwards."

"I know, Bo." Woody replied. "And... I can't say I feel great about doing it, but he seemed nice enough, besides, what was the point, Bo? He already knew. Not a lot of point in pretending if he already knew. I'd never in a million years go doing it to someone who didn't already know." He reasoned as he walked down the hall.

"_Again_, anyway." Bo chuckled. "It'll be nice not having to re apply the tape on my arms anymore, and look, that chip on my neck was filled in, you can't even tell there was ever a chip!" She remarked. "Your stitching on your back looks a lot better." She stated.

"Thanks, my vest can come off again, so that's nice." He nodded. "Eddy's even been looking online for the right replacement piece for my voice box. Gabby Gabby only needed the one piece after all. I'll need a new loop and string though."

"I hope he can fix your voice box, Woody." Bo admitted. "It'd be nice to hear some of those old sayings again." She mock tugged at a mimed pull string on her back. "_Yer my fav'rite deputy!_" She mimicked, prancing about like a TV cowboy.

"Oh, you're funny." Woody crossed his arms, letting out a little laugh to show he did find her imitation funny. "Little weird having no name whatsoever on the bottom of my boot."

"I guess you're now officially a lost toy, only took you thirteen years." Bo smirked, nudging him a little. "C'mon, let's go sit in the window." She took his hand and rushed him to the front of the shop, the two dolls jumped up to the platform the sat just under the window. "Look at that, sheriff." She said quietly, looking up into the see the moon, it was full, and almost looked bigger than normal. The store had it's lights all shut off, but the moon seemed to light it up perfectly, basking the floors of the store in a soft blue glow.

"It's beautiful." Woody whispered, looking up at the moon. He looked over at Bo, the way she shined under the glow of the moon was a spectacle to behold, and even now after all these years, he looked at her the same way he had looked at her on nights like these all those years ago when it was her first year in Andy's room.

"You still looking at the moon, sheriff?" Bo asked, not breaking her gaze from the sky, but he knew Woody had his eyes on something else.

"I have my eyes fixed on something prettier." Woody said softly, losing his inhibitions that would usually keep him from flirting, especially since Giggle or the carnival push duo weren't around to torment him for it. Bo turned to him and gave him a little smile, even with her tough demeanor she had accrued, she still had a soft spot for whenever Woody would flirt.

"Oh yeah?" Bo asked. "Tell me about this... prettier thing you're looking at."

"Well, she's thirteen and a half inches tall, made from porcelain, has a beautifully sculpted head of blonde hair, and the prettiest pair of blue eyes I have ever seen, but that's just on the outside, on the inside, if you can imagine, she's even more beautiful." Woody said, looking deep into her eyes. "She's bold, brave, kind, and smart." He said. "Caring, loving, and one of the most noble toys I've ever met. All around, I dare say she's perfect."

"Good answer, sheriff." She smiled, pulling him in for a deep kiss under the glow of the moon. After they had separated from the kiss, Bo looked back to the sky, cuddling a little closer to the cowboy doll.

"I love you, Bo." Woody said softly.

"I love you too, Woody." Bo murmured, kissing his cheek. "Eddy said he'd be out looking for my sheep tomorrow, that will be nice."

"With any luck he'll find the others too." Woody remarked. "It'd be nice if we can stay together with this new change of plans."

"Mm." Bo nodded, sighing happily. "You remember that first night in Andy's room?" Bo asked.

"For me or for you? I remember both." Woody teased. "Yeah, I remember your first night in Andy's room, almost like it were yesterday..."

* * *

"Well, look who finally decided to stop crying and go to sleep." Mr. Potato Head griped in Woody's recollection of that evening. Molly had been crying and crying all evening, it was only after Andy's mom dug an old lamp out of the attic and turned it on that the soft, warm lighting calmed the crying baby down, or perhaps it was the pretty figurine that adorned the lamp. Either way, Molly was now fast asleep.

"Like it was that bad for you, you pulled your ears out the second she started!" Hamm exclaimed.

"Hey Woody," a small blue pair of binoculars with orange paddle like feet spoke up. "The figure on the lamp is alive." He informed him, Woody picked the wind up toy up and looked up to Molly's nightstand, sure enough, he could see her, glancing out the room, possibly looking for a way to get down without shattering to a thousand pieces. She was beautiful, that was the first thing Woody noticed, her fair porcelain skin reflecting the light of the lamp, he was awestruck.

"Well, I suppose someone aught to go and say hello." Woody deduced as he set Lenny down. "And, since I'm... I'm the leader of the room, I.. I had better be the one to do it." He stuttered before cleaning his throat and walking over to Andy's desk, which was the best vantage point to Molly's nightstand. He got to the edge of the desk, the lamp now only about a foot away. He cleared his throat, getting Bo's attention.

"Oh, well hello there sheriff." Bo said as she looked at him, immediately giving him that nickname on account of the golden star on his chest. "Care to help a delicate girl to the floor?" She asked.

"W... Wuh... Woody." Woody murmured. "Name.. My name is Woody."

"Hi there, Woody." Bo giggled softly at how flustered he was. "My name is Bo Peep, are you like this when every new toy comes into the room, or am I just special?"

"Aheh... special." Woody admitted. "Would... would you like some help down?" He asked.

"Well, that's what I asked, wasn't it?" Bo remarked with a little grin. "If you could help me down, I would be very thankful."

"You... you got it." He nodded, bounding from the desk to the nightstand. "Rocky, Snake, Robot, the pillow." He called, the three toys nodded and immediately went for the pillow that Andy had conveniently knocked off his bed as he slept, they positioned it on the floor of the nightstand.

"Wait... that's my way down?" Bo asked nervously. "I don't... I don't know if that's a good idea..."

"You'll be okay." Woody said softly. "I... promise." He assured her. Her eyes still had some fear in them, but somehow the look in his eyes was a comfort to her, almost as if his look alone was telling her: "everything is going to be okay." She nodded, clutching him like a vice and shutting her eyes tight. Carefully, Woody dropped down off the dresser and onto the pillow, and when Bo opened her eyes, she was safe on the floor.

"Thank you, sheriff." Bo smiled softly, giving him a soft kiss on the cheek. That kiss caused Woody to practically freeze up, blushing like a fool as Bo introduced herself to the other toys in the room. Toys like Rex and Slinky Dog immediately took a liking to her, while Mr. Potato Head was surly in his introduction, but Slinky assured her he was like that with everyone.

"Look at you, I reckon a pretty dame like you is limited edition, can't be more than 5000 of you made." Hamm remarked, that being about the best he could muster for a flirtatious remark.

"Oh, well, I'm not sure." Bo said softly. "I'm... pretty sure I was mass produced. But, thank you, that's awfully kind of you to say."

"Shiny lady pretty." The big, brutish wrestler action figure, Rocky said. "Rocky Gibraltar." He pointed to himself.

"Well hello there Rocky, call me Bo." Bo nodded politely. And so on and so forth until she had met every toy presently in the room.

She walked back to Woody, who was still frozen up. Woody had been around for nearly forty years at this point, but this feeling that overcame him when he saw Bo was like no other feeling. That feeling only multiplied when she gave him that kiss. It was all so sudden. Woody assured himself he couldn't possibly be in love. He had only just met her. Love didn't work like that, right?

"So, Andy is the boy's name?" Bo asked. After about four seconds of silence, Woody nodded.

"Andy, and that's Molly." Woody pointed to the crib. "I guess you're Molly's toy, technically. But Andy's probably going to play with you when he sees you can come off the lamp." He explained as he gradually unfroze and started to move about. "Don't worry, he doesn't play rough. He takes good care of his toys."

"I'm sure you're the star of the show most play times." Bo remarked.

"What makes you say that?" Woody asked.

"Wild guess, Sheriff." Bo smirked a bit, then pointed to Andy's bedspread, toy chest, many cowboy drawings and posters, and the cowboy hat that hung off his bedpost. "Must be fun for you, he's in his cowboy phase."

"Phase?" Woody asked. "I think I'm pretty safe with my position."

"Whatever you say, Sheriff." Bo grinned a bit. "Care to show me around?"

"Of course." Woody nodded.

The tour had wrapped up pretty quickly, after all it wasn't that big of a room. Woody made sure to teach her the way of the land, let her know about the ticks and quirks of various toys, rules regarding exploring the house or TV watching, making sure to replace RC's batteries if she ever wanted to take him for a spin, everything she needed to know. Woody helped her back up to the nightstand, with Slinky's help. The two went their separate ways, Bo back to her lamp, Woody sat down on the windowsill, looking out at the sky.

"Something on your mind, Sheriff?" Woody heard behind him, he turned to see the porcelain doll behind him.

"No. No, nothing in... nothing in particular." Woody shook his head. "Just... looking up at the stars I guess." He said.

"Mind if I join you?" Bo asked.

"Well, it's a big windowsill." Woody reasoned. Before he knew it, Bo was sitting up on the windowsill, she wasn't taking advantage of the size of the windowsill, instead she sat beside him.

"Sorry. But I like some company." Bo said quietly.

"It's alright with me." Woody assured her. They were quiet for a little while, eventually Woody decided to break the silence. "First kid?" Woody asked.

"No." Bo answered. "I belonged to a friend of Molly's mom when she was a little girl, I was up in their attic until she took me out and gave me to mom as a baby shower gift not too long ago. She kept me up in the attic, I guess because this isn't going to be their house for long so she didn't want to set any more things up." Bo explained. "I'm glad mom decided to take me out though, I was lonely for so long. It's nice to have company again."

"I'm happy to be company." Woody nodded. "Many toys at your old home?" He asked.

"Ally never seemed to have a thing for toys. She had a few plush animals but even then they were all donated or yard saled by the time she was six. I stayed. She always seemed to like me." Bo explained. "And then I spent a decade or so in the attic and was taken out, dusted of... And before I knew it I was up in a different attic."

"Well, I'm sure your time in the attic, or any attic for that matter is up." Woody assured her.

"I sure hope so." Bo nodded. "So how about you? Andy your..."

"Second kid as well. I belonged to Andy's dad first." Woody replied. "Me, Potato Head, and Slinky actually." He explained. "It's a long story. I'll tell you sometime."

"Be sure that you do." Bo replied. "Call it jumping the gun, but I think I like you, Sheriff." She gave his nose a gentle poke before leaning on his shoulder. "Make sure to wake me up if I drift off, okay?" She whispered.

"Sure thing." Woody nodded.

* * *

"Bo... Bo." Woody murmured softly back in the present. During his reminiscing Bo had fallen asleep on his shoulder. She murmured as she awoke and quickly assessed her surroundings before smiling up at her sheriff.

"Mmn. I was having the nicest dream." Bo murmured. "But I'll take the real thing over a dream any day." She gave Woody a big kiss on the cheek. "And that was just how the dream began." She murmured in his ear, grinning. "What do you say you and I find a nice corner of the shop and get some rest?" She asked.

"Sounds like a plan, Bo." Woody nodded, standing up to his feet with a yawn and a stretch before walking off with Bo to find a place to lay their heads for the night.

* * *

"Ehhh, why am I the bait again?" Hamm asked the next morning, nervously sitting on the trail after Duke had given the group the warning that the man from the day before had returned as hoped.

"You drew the short straw, it's all very clear." Giggle reminded him. "Don't worry, if Woody and Bo are fine, you'll be fine too." Giggle assured him. "Now quiet!" The toys hid in the bush, and Hamm froze up where he sat on the trail, just in time for Eddy to notice him.

"Huh, peculiar place for a piggy bank. You lost, buddy?" Eddy picked up the pig. "Hmmm, minor scuffs on the body, paint on the cloves is chipping a bit. Tell you what, I'll get you patched up and take you right back here, you're too big for a kid to just drop and not notice." He took the pig and went back to his car. Buzz, Jessie, Duke, and the others could only hope Hamm would succeed in helping their friends.

Before long, Eddy was back in the shop and immediately took Hamm into his shop and back into the workshop in the back.

"Cork plug at that. You don't see those very often." Eddy murmured as he gathered the proper paints and glosses. "I've always preferred corks to the usual plastic stoppers. They're a bit of a rarity nowadays. You must be a pretty old piggy bank." He deduced.

"_Gee this guy talks to himself a lot._" Hamm thought. "_It would seem a little less crazy if it didn't seem like he were talking to me. This guy's gotta be what? Mid 30s?_"

"Lets see... huh. I must have left the glossy black upstairs. I'll he right back, Pork Rinds." Eddy said as he left the workshop and made his way to the upstairs.

"Pork Rinds? I have half a mind to..." Hamm grumbled, now free to talk and move. He looked around for any signs of Woody or Bo. "Woody? Peep? Hello?" He asked as he hopped down from the desk to the chair, then down to the floor.

Woody and Bo, meanwhile, had taken advantage of an old dollhouse in the back room that had a bed perfectly sized for them. The walls were thin, so the sound of change rattling around and Hamm's voice woke Woody and Bo.

"Could you tell them to keep it down?" Bo murmured tiredly. "I've had the best sleep in years on this bed and I don't want it to be over just yet." Woody yawned and got out of the bed and made his way to the window.

"Keep it down out here, two antiques are trying to sleep." He said groggily, Hamm looked right towards the dollhouse and sure enough, saw Woody peeking his head out.

"Woodster? Is that you?" Hamm asked. Between the familiar voice and nickname, Woody fell out of his sleepy haze almost immediately.

"Hamm!?" Woody exclaimed.


End file.
